hackers

before we moved into our current home, i used to share a studio in dupont with my husband.

it was tiny, but i loved living downtown and got used to making the most out of tiny spaces. when we first moved into our house, it felt enormous by comparison. but three years in to homeownership and it's definitely starting to feel a little crammed.

if you're in a similar situation where every square foot matters, here's three ikea hacks that'll save space. also? no assembly required.

we don't have enough space in our bedroom for nightstands. for a while, we were charging our phones on the window ledges, but it wasn't super practical and they weren't easily accessible. mounting two ribba picture ledges ($9.99) to the wall has been a great solution for us. they take up zero floor space, they blend in nicely with our baseboards, and they hold things we'd normally have on a nightstand. as you can see, it holds an iphone almost perfectly and you still have room for other devices (like a tablet) and glasses (me) or a retainer case (husband). 

our pantry is another area where we keep needing extra space. we have a few shelves in there already, but since we cook a lot at home, when it's fully stocked, it can be hard to see everything that's in there. 

we mounted another ribba in there, and not only is it functional, i can also see and access everything that's inside.

when you live in tight quarters, vertical storage is your friend. this stainless steel wall shelf ($25) is supposed to be for your bathroom, but it fits right in with the other metal wall shelves we have holding our plates in the kitchen. it now holds the coffee grinder and some canisters we got from target and ikea.

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the house is always a work in progress and these changes have been fun new additions.

neat and tidy

 i hate clutter. it makes me nuts.

this includes cluttered storage. i want it packed away neatly in a non-see-through box, said the obsessive organized lady.

but i've never really had a great way to store wrapping paper. the few rolls i had around the house were corralled in a corner of a seldom-used closet. but the ends always got a little marred up and the paper tends to wrinkle a bit, making it look a little sad. 

over the break, i decided to find a clean-looking way to store wrapping paper. it took me page after page of google image search results before i found one that appealed to my need for neat. but i eventually found it through tina jay's photography blog . 

her solution met all my aesthetic requirements, plus it was majorly cheap and installation was simple. i had to do some sleuthing to find out exactly which ikea products she used, but armed with an iphone screenshot and an extra set of eyes (thanks, boy), i found what i needed.  

check it out. 

hooks ($2.99) | rail ($2.99) | basket ($2.99)

 i used a different basket than the original post, but the idea's the same. 

it was incredibly difficult to wedge myself into the teeny tiny basement closet to get a good shot, but i think you can get the idea.

i also added a clip to the bottom of the rolls to keep it secure. and you can see on the red snowflake roll, i actually have two clips at the top. that one was a little heavier than the rest.

the lower rack holds gift bags, gift tags, tissue paper, ribbon and tape.

i only bust out the wrapping paper a few times a year, so it's nice to have it out of the way  and wrinkle-free until i really need it. and i love how you can see everything all at once. 

this took us about 10 minutes to set up. leveling the bars probably took the longest time, but i'm really digging this.

so long, closet floor. 

what's poppin

i'm such a sucker for office supplies of any kind. 

i love new pens, pads of paper, and smart organization solutions.

my home office isn't quite finished being set up, but it's coming together. 

one day, it'll look something like this, i'm hoping.

via house of turquoise and flickr user xJavierx

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the other day, i was getting some tips from martha, when i saw this little ruler among her card-making must-haves.*

turns out, it was made by poppin, a newish ny-based company who, according to their website, "wants to be the first retailer that makes looking at, buying, and using office products an extraordinary experience."

sounds good to me!

their products are adorable + well designed. i'll take one of each of these, please.

you can buy the items as needed or get one of their cute little bundles. 

i like the prepster. gives you a little taste of everything.

all images via poppin

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cute, no? 

poppin kinda won me over. their product descriptions are fun, too. i love that.

where's your go-to for office supplies?

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*the image isn't loading on that link for some reason, but the green ruler (originally show in white on martha's site) is what i'm referencing.

brace yourself

finally organizing my jewelry drawer